Chemical Penetration Enhancers for Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems

Skin as an important site of drug application for both local and systemic effects. However in skin, the stratum corneum is the main barrier for drug penetration. Penetration enhancement technology is a challenging development that would increase the number of drugs availablefor transdermal administration. The permeation of drug through skin can be enhanced by both chemical penetration enhancement and physical methods. In this review, we have discussed the chemical penetration enhancement technology for transdermal drug delivery as well as the probable mechanisms of action.